Fahmida Y. RashidCipherPost Pro (for iPad)With CipherPost Pro employees can send encrypted emails securely within and outside the organization. However, the iPad app is severely limited and the Web version is much better to work with.

Limited functionality compared to Web interface. No integration with the mail client.

Bottom Line

With CipherPost Pro employees can send encrypted emails securely within and outside the organization. However, the iPad app is severely limited and the Web version is much better to work with.

CipherPost Pro from AppRiver is a secure email system in which all messages are encrypted when they leave the inbox, and decrypted only when the authorized recipient logs into the system to see the message. Not only are messages encrypted, but also all file attachments are transferred via HTTPS using Secure Messaging Platform protocol. For organizations who work with a lot of sensitive data, CipherPost Pro is a great way to make sure messages are always secure. Unfortunately, the iPad app is very limited and currently does not deliver the platform's many capabilities.

As far as recipients are concerned, CipherPost Pro is free, available from the iTunes App Store. To use it however, users first have to be added to an existing CipherPost Pro account. This is pretty simple, as recipients are automatically invited to join the secure email system the first time they receive a secure message. From the organization's standpoint, CipherPost Pro costs $7.95 per user per year.

Getting StartedI downloaded CipherPost Pro from the iTunes App Store on to the iPad I was using for review. The app prompted me to enter my credentials for the secure email system and I had the option to have it remember my credentials for 14 days so I would not have to enter it every time. The app's timeout period was pretty long, though. I didn't have to login every single time I used the app; only when it timed out, after 24 hours or so.

I was surprised there didn't seem to be a "Logout" button anywhere on the app. On the bottom right corner, there is a Settings button that, when tapped, opens a menu with the option, "Remove Authorization," which I eventually figured out meant "Logout." It's perplexing why that specific terminology was used, since users are more likely to know what "Logout" means sooner than "Remove Authorization."

Sending Secure MessagesThe app works like practically any other mail app, as I just address and write the message normally. The recipient field automatically searches through the list of all the users registered on the system and displays them as you type.

If I wanted to take advantage of the secure delivery features, I tapped the button with double arrows on the top toolbar to open up the "Delivery Slip." I could set the ReplyFreeze and ForwardFreeze options, which prevents recipients from replying or forwarding the message. However, "For Your Eyes Only," which lets you assign a password, is not available from the the app. I could also enable tracking to find out when the messages were received. It took me a few tries to get used to tapping "Back" to get back to the email as there is no "Done" or "Save" button to close the Delivery Slip window

Once I hit "Send Secure," the app communicates with the AppRiver servers to encrypt the message and a notification email to the user's normal email address. If the recipient is not already registered with the system, then the recipient has to register with the service using the link in the notification email before getting access to the message.

The app does not currently support attaching files to outgoing messages or viewing incoming files.

Receiving Secure MessagesI could check the app regularly for messages, but it's important to remember that the entire point of this email delivery system is to not have sensitive data stored on mobile devices. The app is not downloading the contents of the secure email locally onto the iPad, the way the standard Mail app does. CipherPost Pro app for the iPad is just providing the recipient with a front-end interface to access the encrypted messages stored on AppRiver's servers. This means that when the user is not connected to the Internet, there is no way to see any of the messages in CipherPost Pro, even the ones that have already been read and archived.

CipherPost Pro also sends a notification email to my normal email account for every message I receive through the secure system. I could view that notification email in the Mail app, but when I click on the link in order to access the CipherPost Pro platform to read the message, it opens up the Web browser and prompts me to login to through the Web interface.

It would have been nice if there had been some integration between the Mail app and CipherPost Pro. Since iOS has strict rules about how apps interact with each other, I realize this is not a trivial request to make, but it makes me question the usefulness of having a native app.

Just Use the Web VersionThe limitations of the app makes me wonder why a CipherPost Pro user would find the app useful. Accessing the Web interface seems like the better way to go, since it is automatically loaded whenever you click on the link that is in the notification mail. I cannot attach files to new messages or view file attachments received, and both the Web interface and the app requires me to be connected to the Internet. Having a familiar interface to compose the message and define delivery options is definitely useful, but some critical functions appear to be missing. As this is only the first version of the app, I anticipate AppRiver will be updating with new features. Until then, users are probably better off sticking with the Web interface or using the Outlook plugin or other methods.

CipherPost Pro (for iPad)

Bottom Line: With CipherPost Pro employees can send encrypted emails securely within and outside the organization. However, the iPad app is severely limited and the Web version is much better to work with.

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About the Author

Fahmida Y. Rashid is a senior analyst for business at PCMag.com. She focuses on ways businesses can use technology to work efficiently and easily. She is paranoid about security and privacy, and considers security implications when evaluating business technology. She has written for eWEEK, Dark Reading, and SecurityWeek covering security, core Inte... See Full Bio

CipherPost Pro (for iPad)

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